Features

Cupid Stunts! It’s Surfing’s Hottest Power Couples!

Folk more beautiful, famous, rich, better at surfing than you are head over heels in love. And we salute them.

Jack Blanchard & Alana Freestone

Of course we had to have these two. She’s a former Women’s WCT shredder – who dropped off tour last year without winning a heat – and undisputed dominatrix of surfing social media. He is Jack Freestone.

In 2017, Jack’s a WCT sophomore, and looks a wee bit like a young John Major. But there’s nothing former about their romance, it’s fresh, it’s exciting… it’s dangerous! Well, maybe for him, in the form of him getting death threats from Alana fans.

Would he rather embrace modernity and gender role reversal and concentrate on domestic chores, making sure the dinner is on the table when Alana gets back from a hard day’s graft at the comp/photo shoot?

We’ll have to wait and see.

Ken & Layne

This one is a touch old news/90’s… but in all honesty, so are we, and that certainly never did us any harm.

Kenneth Bradshaw, Texan man mountain turned Waimea/Sunset fixture, hooked up with then high flying Australian pro Layne Beachley, in what would have been the Jack & Alana of 1999 (haven’t we all come a long way since then!)
Ken’s coaching (controversial earpiece at Pipe episode), shapes and above all, love, nurture and support helped Layne secure her first of seven ASP World Titles in ’98 (the couple split in 2002, and Layne’s now married to INXS star Kirk Pengilly).

With this power couple’s romance having taken place in pre YouTube days, little video exists of them canoodling… which is probably for the best.

Laird Hamilton & Gabrielle Reece

Does Gabrielle Reece actually surf? Does Laird Hamilton even surf anymore? We’re not too sure, but they’re definitely both partial to the odd SUP, and that’s good enough for us; sometimes they even like to SUP in the nud!

The 51-year old waterman extraordinaire and tow-surfing pioneer has been married to the 45-year old retired pro beach volleyball player since 1997, and they’re still going strong, physically as well as maritally; not too long ago they took their clothes off for the annual ESPN Body Issue, revealing two finely-tuned athletic specimens beneath. (Phwooarr!)

Joan Duru & Maud le Car

The Euro surf power couple par excellence. Joan is all set to tear the 2017 Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour a new one while Maud, originally from the French Caribbean but now residing in Capbreton, is meanwhile battling it out on the women’s ‘QS and isn’t a million miles away from a qualification spot. Simultaneous power couple qualification isn’t out of the question, and wouldn’t that be something?

Paul Fisher & Chloe Chapman

No doubt at some point in your interweb travels you’ve encountered Paul Fisher, probably surfing a board shaped like a penis or suchlike. If you are widely travelled in interweb land, you may have encountered his girlfriend Chloe Chapman too.

Both were promising young pros in earlier years but neither quite made the grade professionally, and were forced to turn to other talents — Chapman to her business acumen, eye for design and stunning natural beauty, which she used to establish her swimwear brand Aloé; Fisher to his ability to be unrelentingly outrageous/annoying/hilarious, which he used to establish his blog Follow The Fish.

Alessa Quizon & Caio Ibelli

He made great work of his rookie CT seasno in 2016 to finish 17th, she dropped off tour last year after a frustrating season… but hopefully will be back before long.

Both are annoyingly photogenic beacons of youth and beauty and talent, evoking in us a confused mix of lust, wonder and self-loathing.